Not Bir Hakeim
Western Desert bash based loosely on the actions of the Free
French Brigade at Bir Hakeim in June 1942. My Free French haven`t had a run-out
for ages and I just fancied a change, this is just getting the toys on the
tabletop so please don`t take offence.
The fortress at
Bir Hakeim (Old Man's Well) had been built by the Ottomans and later used as a
station by the Italian Meharist (camel corps) to control movement at the
crossroads of two Bedouin paths. The wells had long been dry and had been
abandoned but Indian troops had re-occupied the site to build a strongpoint
surrounded by minefields.
In our game a mixed Free French force is tasked to hold the crossroads
and deny its use to the enemy for 20 turns.
Free French forces
My desert Free French were assembled ages back most come from a time before you could just order them from a website 😁 There are Airfix and Matchbox 8th Army plastics some with head-swaps or painted up as Senegalese! I also have SHQ, Dixons, EWM plus odds`n sods from Pascal Mahn, Brian at The Hobbyden, Elheim, Tumbling Dice & Retrokit
HQ inc medical section
4 x infantry platoons (a mix of Legionnaires and Senegalese)
1 x MMG
1 x 81mm mortar
1 x Boyes AT rifle
1st artillery battery with:
2 x 75mle1897 plus crews and tows
AA section (fusiliers d`marine)
40mm Bofors + tow
Mine fields, wire and entrenchments
Flying column
Starts the game off table east, can be
called onto table any turn after turn 6
2 x Dodge Tanake
1 x Bren carrier w/25mm Hotchkiss AT gun
Air Support
Turn 1D6 + 2
Hurricane fighter bomber
Turn 12 + 1D6
Hurricane fighter bomber
Italian Forces
(from the west on turn 1)
Elements of 132nd Tank
Regiment
2 x M41 tanks
1 x Semovente
Recce company with:
2 x motorcycle recce platoons
1 truck platoon
1 x Armoured car
From the North
(turn 8)
2 x Semovente
1 x armoured car
CV33 flame-thrower
Company of infantry from Pavia Division
German forces
(from the south turn 12)
2 x Panzer III
DAK infantry company
Support
Turn 1D6
3 rounds of random 105mm battery fire
Turn 1D6 + 4
Stuka sortee
Turn 10
2 rounds of directed 105mm battery fire (may be called by any HQ
element)
Turn 12 + 1D6
Stuka sortee with Bf109 cover
My table
Note the dark red/brown areas are mixed high density minefields, the tracks through them are also considered mined!
The game
Turns 1 & 2 sees the
Italians advance from the west towards the crossroads, the motorcycle platoons
moved off road to the left and right, the M41s also moved left. The armoured
car headed straight up the road followed by the truck born platoon and company
HQ car.
On turn 2 the armoured car
passes into the minefield – luck is with it as it doesn`t trip any mines!
Turn 3 All hell breaks lose,
the armoured car does hit a mine, followed instantly by the recce platoons truck (they
lose half their compliment).
The French `75 opens up on the lead
M41 (miss), the Italian return fire is ineffective.
Both
motorcycle platoons dismount and prepare to advance on foot.
Turn
4 Both M41s move to engage the French `75, the lead tank misses (again), the
second tank main gun roles double 1 (a jam or dud shell); unfortunately for the
French they miss also.
The motorcycle infantry move
forward on foot, The Italian company HQ dismounts and moves to rally what was
left of their truck platoon.
Turn
5 the lead M41 is wiped out by a direct hit from the French `75, but its own
shell smashes the `75 in return.
The
other M41 crew manage to get their gun working. The two motorcycle platoon
begin to take fire from French defenders. The Semovente moves forward to shell
the crossroads in support of the motorcycle infantry.
Turn
6 a Hurricane enters the table
It
targets the cluster of vehicles and men on the road (the Italian HQ and truck
platoon & Semovente) and manages to kill the company commander and his RTO
as well as killing more members of the truck platoon (who fail their morale and become pinned).
Italian artillery lands
around the crossroads, taking several casualties
The motorcycle infantry on
the right find themselves pinned by solid French fire, on the left supported by
the last M41 move forward against determined French defence.
Turn 7 A Stuka arrives over
the table, but is driven off by the French 40mm Bofors
The right hand motorcycle
platoon take more casualties and fail their morale and break.
The left platoon takes more
casualties and also fail their morale check and begin to withdraw, the M41
luckily misses getting hit by a petrol bomb, but seeing its supporting infantry
withdrawing it joins them!
The
Semovente moves forward in support, but hits a mine!
Italian
artillery plasters the crossroads causing no casualties this turn.
Turn 8 the second Italian
force arrives from the north (just as the western attack collapses)
The French hastily re-set
their defenders, rushing men from rear areas towards the north.
Turn 9 The lead armoured car
strikes a mine!
The Italians spread out one
platoon plus a Semovente and the C33 flamethrower move right, whilst the other
Semovente backed with another platoon move left. The last platoon dismounts and
moves around the minefield to its left. Company HQ takes up position on the
hill and calls for artillery support (fails)
Turn 10 The Semovente on the
right is knocked out by a superb shot from the last French `75
The
other Semovente is targeted by the French Bofors and it too brews up!
The
French 81mm mortar targets the centre Italian platoon and takes a couple of
men.
Turn
11 With all the other amour gone, the C33 fails its morale check and just stops
where it is.
The
81mm mortar once again drops a bomb onto the centre platoon taking more men.
The French Bofors also fires directly at this platoon causing yet more loses
and forcing a morale check (which they fail and they break).
The
Italian HQ calls down artillery against the Bofors and wipes it out!!
Turn
12 the Afrika Korps arrive from the south and drive straight into the
minefield. Neither tank is damaged by the lead truck platoon gets blown sky high
and the platoon takes 50% casualties!
The
two active Italian platoons move forward and engage the French both sides take
casualties.
Turn
13 the Afrika Korps are forced to withdraw and regroup
The
Italians continue their advance, the French company 2IC gathers what men he can
find into a scratch platoon to try and block the Italians.
Turn
14 the Afrika Korps send one platoon and one Panzer III down each flank of the
minefield, the company HQ moves to rally
whats left of the 1st platoon.
Turn
15 Mixed fortunes for the Italians, one platoon is cut to pieces as it runs
into two well placed French machine guns – at the end of the turn the survivors
fail their morale and break! The other platoon clears all the remaining French
in front of them and it looks like they have a free run down onto the track and
into the French rear. The French 2IC is of course moving his scratch platoon to
block this.
The
Afrika Korps advance, the Panzers blast any visible French positions.
Turn
16 the Italians continue their flanking move, the French 2IC moves his men to
block them
The
Afrika Korps continue their advance, the panzers firing at anything they can
see, the French desperately move whatever troops they can to try and stop them,
the last `75 is manhandled around to face this southern threat.
Turn
17 the Italians move forward but are targeted by the French 81mm mortar who
brackets them and causes casualties including the platoon leader! (This leads
to morale check at the end of the turn which they fail and they become pinned)
The
German Panzer on the right is hit by the French `75, but the solid shot fails
to penetrate! Its supporting infantry are hit from the flank by LMG fire and
take casualties.
The
left hand panzer begins to pinch in towards the track, its infantry also come
under LMG fire and takes casualties.
Turn
18 Both sides get air support
On
the right, the `75 once again hits but fails to penetrate and the Panzer III
return shot buries itself in the field wall in front of the gun (hit but failed
to penetrate). The German infantry wipe out the French LMG, but still take more
casualties which result in a morale check – which they fail and become pinned!
On
the left the panzer breaks through onto the track and wipes out another French
position
Its
infantry exchange fire with the French LMG and silence it.
Up
in the air the Hurricane targets the right hand panzer and destroys it with an
accurate bombing run.
The
Me109 sees its chance for an easy kill and swoops in, but totally blows it by
rolling double 1 – I rule a mechanical issue (blocked fuel line or blown oil
rings, etc). So the 109 limps home and the Hurricane lives to fight another
day.
The
Stuka barrels in to attack the French centre and the `75
Another
pathetic roll (1 & 2 on 2D6) sees its bombs fall way long causing no
casualties to the French – so much for the Luftwaffe………
Turn
19 the remaining panzer and the `75 fire on one another, the `75 once again
hits but its solid shot just bounces off L The Panzer is dead on
and destroys the French gun.
At
this point the Germans only have one turn left to clear the crossroads, and
just can`t do it, so I called it a French victory.
A
few final shots
French 81mm mortar which caused so many Italian casualties
Boyes AT rifle team lying in wait for the last panzer
Hotchkiss team holding the northern flank
Some
of you may have noticed that in all the excitement I forgot to bring on the
French flying column – d`oh!
